West Virginia Sues 2nd Pharmacy Over Painkillers

CHARLESTON– West Virginia’s attorney general has sued a second pharmacy alleging it dispensed too many prescription painkillers and violated state consumer protection laws.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey says Judy’s Drug Store Inc. of Petersburg dispensed nearly 1.8 million doses of addictive hydrocodone and oxycodone from 2010 to 2016 in a region of fewer than 34,000 residents in Grant, Hardy and Pendleton counties.

According to Morrisey, the conduct helped to fuel West Virginia’s drug crisis and continued despite the pharmacy and several employees paying $2 million to end a federal investigation in 2014.

Proprietor Emily Judy said Thursday she didn’t know about the lawsuit.

The suit seeking penalties, damages and an injunction was filed Thursday in Hardy County Circuit Court.

Tyler Barker is currently the Interim News Director and Digital Content Manager for WOAY-TV. I was promoted to this job in Mid-November. I still will fill in on weather from time to time. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter @wxtylerb. Have any news tips or weather questions? Email me at tbarker@woay.com